Reuse, Recycle and Save Money

Did you know your home was a gold mine of unused things?  Seriously, if you took out all the unused items in your home, you probably could set up shop to make some serious cash or save money by reusing.

Having children definitely gets me thinking about ways that I could save and have fun simultaneously.  By recycling and reusing, not only do my children get to have some fun at home, but they learn the value of taking care of the earth and how important it is to do so.

There are so many things you could do with unwanted items.  With a little thinking and creativity, the possibilities are endless.  So I've compiled a list of things my family does in order to reuse, recycle, and save money.

• Newspaper & Magazines - After reading them, don't toss them away.  You could reuse them to wrap gifts or use it for an art project with your kids.  Just coat the paper with a base coat of white, and then you could use it just like any other paper and decorate it to your liking.
  
  Hungry for more ideas? Look here to find simple but fun ideas to reuse newspaper.


• Leftovers - Use it in your compost for your growing plants.  We usually put orange peels and apple peels in it.  It's like miracle food and you don't have to buy anything extra to keep your plants thriving.


• Unused Clothing - Take all the unwanted clothing in your home to your local resale shop for a 50% store credit or 30% in cash.  Your best bet for adult-wear is Crossroads Trading Co., and Buffalo Exchange.  For kids-wear and gear, Children's Orchard is a national chain that most people are aware of and there are also many mom and pop resale shops and seasonal sales, in many cities.
  
  You can get a whole new wardrobe for your entire family without technically spending money, and if you opt to get cash, it's like getting free money.


• Re-usable Bags - While it sounds very simple, most people forget to bring their re-usable bags for groceries.  The simplest way to always have a re-usable bag on hand, is to always have some ready to go in the car and or in your purse (I usually have three Chicobags in my purse).  I receive a 5 cent credit for each bag I bring to use at the market--now that's instant savings!


• Bottles - After your child moves on from milk to solids, don't even think about throwing those bottles away.  While my daughter was breastfed, I received a ton of bottles as baby shower gifts, and I was able to make good use out of them in other ways.  I used them to store finger foods and snacks, like cereal.  When you are out on the go, just dump the cereal in the bottle, and you have an instant snack container.


• Cloth Diaper Inserts - The whole cloth diapering process is not only money saving, but it's also earth friendly, and gentle on your baby.  But what do you do with all those inserts, once your baby is potty trained?  I use them as rags to clean the floors and I also use them as wash cloths during showers and baths.


• Plastic & Cans - While we don't use a lot of plastics or cans, occasionally when we have parties at our home, we end up purchasing a lot of water bottles and can sodas.  We collect all the empty ones and take them to the recycling machine next to our local Whole Foods.  It teaches my kids about recycling and saving money.


• Cardboard - Whenever we get cardboard boxes, my children get excited because there are so many things you could do with it.  With some heavy-duty tape and scissors, you can make your own teepee.  After it's completed, my kids are all about the teepee (2 or more hours of play), which gives me some breathing room (yay!). 
  
  Cardboard boxes are so versatile and kid friendly, you could virtually make anything your heart desires, our next project will be making a toy car.


• Takeout & Baby Wipe Containers - We use them to store crayons and other crafty items.  You could always label them with a Sharpie pen, which makes life so much more easier for organizational purposes.


• Old Wash Cloths - I usually have a handful of worn out wash cloths at the end of each year.  Rather than tossing them in the trash, I sterilize them in boiling water, and place them in the freezer.  When my kids are running high fevers, I use them as cold compresses to bring down their temperature.  It's also useful for under-eye puffiness.


• Trade in Electronics - When we needed to replace our old DVD player because our daughter stuffed markers in it and broke it, we were able to trade-in our old used camcorder for $65 at Best Buy.  We were originally quoted in the amount of $80, but they said we were missing some things, and deducted some money off the original quote.  For us, it didn't make a big difference because we ended up purchasing a DVD player for $58--so we still had a little money left over to purchase some printing paper.

Whether it's reselling your clothing for a whole new wardrobe or reusing some newspaper to wrap your best-friend's gift, there are so many ways you could save money.  Just get your creative juices flowing, and remember saving starts at home (literally!).

Do you have some reusing and recycling tips of your own?  Share them with me in the comments.